At 91, Dale “Grey Beard” Sanders reclaims record as oldest hiker to complete Appalachian Trail

At 91, Dale Sanders has reclaimed the record as the oldest person to complete the Appalachian Trail, despite falling 71 times along the way.

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I had to thank God, and I had to thank my support team and everybody that got me here.

Sanders, whose trail name is “Grey Beard,” completed the trail's 2,193 miles in sections, beginning in West Virginia and finishing atop Mount Katahdin in Maine. Six of his falls were serious, including one that led to a brief hospitalization and another only 200 yards from the finish.

He first set the record in 2017, at age 82. His 83-year-old friend M.J. Eberhart, known as “Nimblewill Nomad,” took the title four years later. Sanders then announced plans to make a comeback.

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And even today, I feel that I should probably be in better shape than I am.

The second attempt proved harder. A fall in Vermont left him scraped and bruised, while a later bout of numbness in his left arm sent him to a Maine hospital. Doctors initially feared a stroke but diagnosed a pinched nerve. Sanders briefly considered quitting, then returned to the trail after going home to Tennessee to support his wife following the death of her mother.

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But I just have to always go back and say, 'But I am 91, so I'm blazing new ground hiking long distances like this.'

Thousands of people followed the hike on social media, turning Sanders into a star among fellow hikers. The attention also changed his priorities. “I wanna get it back, but right now, that's secondary,” he said. “Right now, what's the most important thing is to inspire people.” At the summit, he paused to pray and thanked God, his support team and everyone who helped him finish.

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I wanna get it back, but right now, that's secondary. Right now, what's the most important thing is to inspire people.